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Opening the package of I was immediately assailed with the strong aroma of vanilla and a hint of coconut. Blended together these two reminded me of a toasted marshmallow or even a sugar cookie.
This is not a tea for those looking for tea flavor. This is liquid desert. If it was not for the actual appearance of tea leaf I would have no idea that this was tea.
The leaf is quite pretty with short black wiry leaf and tiny flecks of whitish coconut. At least this stuff LOOKS like tea. But one can’t gauge these things based on appearance alone, so taste I must.
I loosely followed the package directions for my first cup. I say loosely because I used a bigger cup than the 8 oz suggested (I used a 12 oz cup) and thus, used a bit more tea too (weighing in at 4 grams). I followed the directions and used boiling water and a 4 minute seep.
After infusing, a malty tea perfume started to waft from the cup softly entwined by vanilla. Unfortunately that did not translate into tea flavor in the cup. I had high hopes that any sugary flavor would be tempered by the maltyness of the tea but it simply got lost.
As I said, this is liquid desert. The flavor is very heavily vanilla with only a slight hint of coconut and not even one tiny bit of actual tea. The lack of tea flavor might be my own fault. I really did not use enough leaf. Still there was so little tea flavor present I am not sure it would have made much difference.
Don’t get me wrong. This is not a bad beverage. Sweet and smooth, this drink would work well either hot or cold, and a dash of cinnamon might enliven the cup to something almost legendary. (If you try this I suspect it will taste like Jorchata – the Mexican rice drink)
I wont buy this tea again but it might be just perfect for those who like an infusion of dessert instead of calories.